Please do a malware check and then a clean reinstall. ---- Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of. You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software: * [http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/default.aspx Microsoft Safety Scanner] * [http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/ MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware] * [http://support.kaspersky.com/faq/?qid=208283363 TDSSKiller - AntiRootkit Utility] [http://windows.microsoft.com/MSE Microsoft Security Essentials] is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one. Further information can be found in the [[Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware]] article. ---- Certain Firefox problems can be solved by performing a ''Clean reinstall''. This means you remove Firefox and any leftover program files and then reinstall Firefox. Please follow these steps one by one: #Download the latest Desktop version of Firefox from http://www.mozilla.org and save the setup file to your computer. #After the download finishes, close all Firefox windows (click Exit from the Firefox or File menu) and confirm all upcoming messages. #Now, uninstall Firefox by following the steps mentioned in the [[Uninstall Firefox from your computer#w_uninstall-firefox|Uninstall Firefox]] article. '''IMPORTANT:''' On Windows, the uninstaller has the option to remove your personal data and settings. Make sure that you do '''not''' check this option; otherwise all of your bookmarks, passwords, extensions, user customizations and other Firefox [[Profiles|user profile data]] will be removed from your computer. After uninstalling Firefox on Windows, delete the "Mozilla Firefox" program folder, located by default in one of these locations: * '''(On 32-bit Windows)''' ''C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox'' * '''(On 64-bit Windows)''' ''C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox'' #Go to the Windows Start menu and click on "Computer". #In the Explorer window that opens, double click Local Disk (C:) to open the C:\ drive. #Find the "Program Files (x86)" folder or "Program Files" folder. #* On 32-bit Windows, double-click the '''Program Files''' folder to open it. #* On 64-bit Windows, you will see a "Program Files (x86)" folder AND a "Program Files" folder. Open the '''Program Files (x86)''' folder. #Look for a '''Mozilla Firefox''' folder. If you find one, right-click it and select ''Delete'' and confirm that you want to move the folder to the Recycle Bin. Now, go ahead and reinstall Firefox: #Double-click the downloaded installation file and go through the steps of the installation wizard. #Once the wizard is finished, choose to directly open Firefox after clicking the Finish button. Please report back to see if this helped you!

It is a browser hijacker, usually installed if you download some drivers or shareware from secondary sources. While it collects information about things you search, it is not a virus. To fix problem, you should[[Reset Firefox preferences to troubleshoot and fix problems]] . It will affect your other browsers as well, for them [http://www.majauskas.com/how-to-manage-browser-search-providers instructions can be found here ] or you could run adwcleaner.